


You Need To Let Loose

by sorandom



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, FLUFF EVENTUALLY, Fluff, Holtzbert - Freeform, Road Trips, angry! Erin, cute stuff, ghostbusters - Freeform, theres going to be a plot a some point I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-06-26 22:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15672273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorandom/pseuds/sorandom
Summary: Erin just wants some time alone, but no one is giving it to her. When Abby announces the Ghostbusters are taking a tip far away, Erin isn't exactly too happy.





	1. Why Can't Anyone Leave Me Alone?

Erin stared daringly at the large whiteboard ahead of her, as she whispered to herself possible solutions for the far too complex equation. The numbers never seemed to end, and she never seemed to stop finding solutions, but she was content doing this. The firehouse was oddly quiet, and Erin took full advantage of this, organizing all of the equipment and starting the problem she was currently computing. The silence was quickly broken, though, as always. Kevin came crashing through the large room, chasing a large ball of fur across the floor. 

“Hi boss, I brought Mike Hat to work!” He exclaimed, narrowly missing Erin’s whiteboard. She breathed a sigh of relief, only to tense up again when the receptionist rushed past her again. She clutched her marker and watched in horror as he ruined all of the cleaning she just spent hours doing. When he finally stopped running around with his dog, Erin let out a long, shaky breath. 

“Hey Kevin! I was thinking maybe you could take the day off like everyone else and take Mike to the dog park or something,” She said wearily, hoping he would agree and leave already.  
Erin used to find him extremely attractive, but now after working with him for almost a year she realized he was no smarter than a nine year old, and her attraction towards him faded. 

“Okay boss! Will do,” He said, tipping his hat as he went out the door.  
Erin returned to the equation, praying that she had no more untimely interruptions from co-workers. The problem eventually engulfed her, and hours went by without her giving any attention to the outside world around her. She was so focused she didn’t even notice the firehouse door swing open. When she heard the light footsteps of someone behind her, she jumped, as it had scared her. She turned her head around to find the Ghostbusters’ resident engineer sitting on Erin’s desk, swinging her feet and smiling like a child. Erin rolled her eyes in annoyance, as she had just been the closest she’s come to solving the equation. 

"Hey Er,” Holtzmann said, waving to the pissed off particle physicist. 

“Hello Holtz,” Erin groaned, crossing her arms, and yet again hoping that her uninvited guest would leave. 

“I’m going upstairs to my lab to work on a few things, I won’t bother you, promise!” She exclaimed, jumping off the desk to the floor. Holtz wandered around looking at the board confusedly, not sure what to make of all of the numbers and symbols. She placed her hand on Erin’s shoulder and wished her good luck with the jumble of math on the whiteboard. 

“Okayyy… and now you can go work on whatever,” Erin waved her marker in the air and chuckled awkwardly, “you do all the time up there!”  
Holtz saluted her as she bounded up the stairs, her heavy boots clanging on the metal steps. Erin wasted no time getting back to work, forgetting that Holtz was ever there. But yet again, she was disrupted. Loud music drifted down from the upstairs area and Erin rolled her eyes in frustration. She couldn’t even get an hour alone anymore. The physicist decided to take matters into her own hands and finally get some alone time. Marching up the metal steps, she could hear the music along with the sound of Holtz’s boots dancing around on the linoleum floors.

“Come to join me?” Holtzmann asked, not even looking at Erin.  
Erin glared at her in response, frustrated that the engineer could never just mind her own business. The younger girl danced dangerously close to the open flamed she had, and Erin held her breath; ready to call the fire department at any moment. While Erin continued to be stressed, the blonde kept dancing, and even threw a wink at Erin, much to the older girl’s surprise. 

“Okay, dance time’s over! I really, really need to get work done,” Erin stated, hoping Holtz finally got the hint that she wanted to be alone. 

“Ah, if you MUST insist, I will turn off my music and continue to work quietly, as you aren’t the only one who needs to finish up some work around here,” Holtz replied dramatically, taking the CD out of the old machine sitting on her work bench. She clicked the shiny disk back into its case and placed it on the rack against the wall in the room. 

“Great. Goodnight,” Erin said, quickly turning and heading down the stairs.  
\---  
The hands on the large analog clock in the fire station told Erin it was 1:27 in the morning, and that she had been asleep for the past couple hours. Shit I need to get home she thought to herself, reaching for her raincoat, only to realize she left it two floors up in the living room. As she dragged herself up the first flight of stairs, she noticed her fellow Ghostbuster was still here.

“Oh hey Holtz, I’m just grabbing my rain coat so I don’t get soaked when I go to walk home,” she mumbled, half asleep. Erin began to head for the next set of stairs when the other girl put her hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

“Hey, you’re not going anywhere, I don’t want you walking home alone,” Holtz said, guiding her upstairs, “You are going to sleep here tonight.” Erin didn’t even try to disagree with her, as her eyes were too heavy to keep open. The younger girl led her up the stairs to their bedrooms. 

“Uh, I don’t have any clothes here Holtz, I haven’t had time to set up my room,” Erin stated, barely audible. Holtz bolted from the room not saying a word, leaving Erin to wonder where she had gone. When she came back a few minutes later she had in her hands a pair of plaid boxers and a large grey t-shirt. “Thanks,” Erin took the clothes from her and walked over to the bed, waiting for the other girl to leave.

“Oh, yeah, I’ll leave, sorry. I’m just so used to girls undressing for me, ya know,” The engineer winked at the older girl, leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Erin brushed off the comment, Holtz flirted with everyone.  
She slipped off her clothes, and put on the items the engineer had just given her. Erin was surprised at how comfortable they were. She had just began to get under the covers when there was a soft knock at the door. 

“Come in,” Erin groaned, just wanting to get some sleep. The door opened, and Holtzmann stood on the other side.

“Just wanted to say that if you need anything I’ll be in my room,” She pointed in the direction of the next room over, “Goodnight.” Erin nodded in response and fell asleep almost instantly.  
\---  
“ERIIINNNNN ARE YOU UP THERE?” Patty’s voice echoed throughout the firehouse, unpleasantly waking up Erin. She groaned in annoyance, no one could ever just leave her alone. 

“Yeah, I’m up here, I just woke up,” She whispered the last part. The small alarm clock next to her read 7:08AM, Erin was pissed off at her six hours of sleep. After laying on her bed for what felt like ages, she decided to get up and make coffee. All of the Ghostbusters were standing around the kitchen table, joking with one another and filling each other in on their rare day off. Erin forced a smile to the group, and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. She began drinking it right away, not bothering to let the hot coffee cool down. “Mother fucker!” She yelled, the coffee burning the inside of her mouth. She slammed the cup down in frustration, splashing some on the counter.

“Jeez, Erin, watch it next time, let me help you with that,” Abby said, getting a roll of paper towels. Erin put the cup in the dishwasher, and sunk into one of the chairs around the counter. 

“Okay, some of us look like they had a rough night, but I’m just going to give you guys the news right now,” Abby looked around the room for her coworkers reactions, which were all pretty bland at the moment, “I got a call from a police department up in Maine and it sounds like they have some ghosts on the loose. Since it sounds bad we’re all going to go stay up there for the next two weeks.” Everyone but Erin seemed excited to take a mini road trip, even Patty was excited, she was ready to head down to the library to see if she could find any books about the place. “We leave tomorrow, so pack your bags today,” Abby said, giving a sympathetic smile to Erin. 

“C’mon Er, it’ll be so much fun, cheer up!” Holtz sang, her head propped up on her hands on the table across the table from her. Erin tried to smile, and Holtz danced in honor of her achievement of making Erin not pissed off.

“So how long is this trip going to take anyways?” Erin asked, turning her chair to Abby, who was walking towards her room. 

“Google maps says about 11 hours,” Abby turned away and began packing.


	2. Adventures From the Back Seat of the Hearse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaannndddd we're off!

Erin had forgotten she was wearing Holtz’s clothes when she got to her room. She looked in the full length mirror at herself, the bags under her eyes and messy hair taking up most of her face. Realizing that she had no other clothes, she marched down the stairs and headed through the fire station.   
“Are you going to get stuff from your apartment, in my boxers?” Holtzmann said, grabbing Erin by the sleeve of her shirt.   
Erin looked at her and crossed her arms. “Yes, Yes I am. Now if you could please excuse me so I can go pack my bags, because we are leaving for a two week trip tomorrow.” Erin pulled herself out of Holtzmann’s tight grip, and left the firehouse with an annoyed sigh. 

Holtz ran down the sidewalk to catch up with her, “Wait up, I’ll go with you. I need to stop by my apartment too, if that’s okay?” 

“Fine,” Erin said, a certain sound of defeat in her voice. Holtzmann smiled in response, practically skipping alongside her. 

\---

“You can wait in here while I change and pack my bag,” Erin waved her hand in the direction of the small living room as she went into what Holtzmann guessed was her bedroom. Erin peeked her head back out, “Oh, and PLEASE don’t break anything.” The engineer’s face showed her embarrassment as she put down the telephone she was fiddling with.   
When Erin walked back out she was wearing her MIT sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. She threw Holtz the pair of boxers and the t-shirt and lugged the large suitcase through the opening. The heavy luggage dragged across the floor, making an ear-piercing screeching noise.

“Here, let me help you with that,” Holtz said, reaching for the handle of the overstuffed bag. “Fuck this is heavy, how much shit did you pack?” She jokingly wiped the back of her hand on her forehead and rolled up her sleeves. 

Erin rolled her eyes, even letting a small smile crack, “We’re going to be gone for more than two weeks, remember?”

The blonde smirked, “Did I just make Erin smile?”

“No, you didn’t. Now would you please help me with this?” She responded, getting a better grip on the bag.

\---

When they finally had managed to lug her bag down to the firestation, everyone else was packed, and putting their stuff in Ecto-1. 

“Damn girl, how many tiny bowties did you manage to shove in there,” Patty asked, bursting out in laughter. 

“None. There is no tiny bowties in there, thank you for asking,” Erin replied, slightly annoyed. 

“Shit, I forgot to swing by my apartment, I’m going to take Ecto-2 out and grab some things,” Holtz grabbed her helmet from her locker, and took off her signature goggles. 

“Okay, as long as you’re back within the next hour because we need to secure the equipment in the firehouse before we leave tomorrow,” Abby yelled over the the sound of the motorcycle. Holtz saluted and sped off. “How is she even going to fit a suitcase on there,” mumbled Abby as she neatly organized the Team’s bags in the back of their modified hearse. 

“Hi boss I hope you’re still not in a bad mood because I brought you an iced coffee so you don’t burn yourself this time,” Kevin handed Erin a clear plastic cup filled with iced coffee from some street vendor.

“Thanks Kevin,” Erin graciously took the cup, desperately needing caffeine even though it was the afternoon. 

“Alright, now that I see you’ve had your coffee maybe you won’t be so cranky,” Abby walked past her to the car with a box full of their jumpsuits, “We’re going to drive straight there, and switch drivers every few hours so people can sleep. Are you okay with that or are you going to complain?”

Erin looked down at her half drank coffee, and back up at Abby with the 'are you fucking serious?' look. “So what’s the order of who’s driving then?” She asked, more than a little shocked at the fact they were driving a straight 11 hours. 

“I was thinking Me, You, Holtz, and then Patty last because by then we’ll be deep in the woods so she can’t get road rage at drivers,” Abby secured the last proton pack in the hearse and closed the door. 

\---

When Holtzmann arrived back at the station she had somehow managed to strap a duffel bag to the back of the motorcycle. 

“You’re late, where have you been? It’s almost nine!” Abby watched the other girl pull the bag’s strap over her shoulder and throw it recklessly into the efficiently packed van, “Really, Holtz? I spent hours packing!” Holtzmann just laughed and danced while she walked away.

“I better be sitting shotgun or else I’m going to be mad, and NOBODY wants to see Patty mad,” Patty walked down the steps holding maps and books almost falling out of her arms. 

“Fine, Patty gets shotgun while I drive first, and then we can switch, okay?” Abby looked around at her coworkers hoping they all agreed, “Now everyone get to bed, we’re leaving at seven tomorrow!”

\---

“Rise and shine Ghostbusters!” Kevin poked his head into each of their rooms, receiving many groans and even a pillow thrown at him, courtesy of Patty. Even though Kevin wasn’t going on the trip, he had an ultimate frisbee tournament, Abby still put him in charge of waking them up before they left, and making sure the firhouse didn’t burn down while they were gone. Holtzmann was the first one up, she was most excited for the trip. She bounded down the stairs, already dressed, as she had slept in her overalls and green crop top, and hopped in the backseat of the car.

“Girl I don’t know how you have that much energy this early in the morning,” Patty yelled down the stairs, cup of coffee already in her hand. 

Erin was the last to get out of bed, Abby got up right after Patty. She was the least excited for the trip, as she was not looking forward to spending a whole day in the car, and then another two weeks with them in the middle of nowhere. She’d been with them everyday for almost a year, even holidays because they knew Erin couldn’t go home to her family after they found out she was a Ghostbuster. She just wanted a break, needed to get away from them. It wasn’t that she didn’t like them, she loved all of them dearly, it’s just that sometimes people need to spend some time apart.

“Holtzmann, can you go check on Erin, I don’t even think she’s out of bed yet,” Abby turned around in the driver’s seat and motioned upstairs. Her fellow Ghostbuster got out of the car and bounded up the metal steps, the sound echoing throughout the station.

“Erin, what’s takin’ you so long babygirl?” She leaned against her doorway, watching Erin stiffen up while she was tying her shoes. “It’s just me, your favorite Ghostbuster, now let's go, everyone’s waiting in the car, and we can even get you iced coffee on the road, no more hot coffee for you,” she said with a smile, dragging Erin playfully by her arm through the kitchen and down the stairs. 

\---

When they were finally situated in the car Erin slumped down in her seat hoping she could get some more sleep. Even though her eyes were practically glued shut from how tired she was, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Holtz had said to her, she’d called her 'babygirl'. Erin knew she was just being her regular flirtatious self, but she couldn’t get it off her mind and she didn’t know why.

“Erin, here, take this,” Abby handed her a large plastic cup of iced coffee. She nodded and thanked her, the condensation dripping down her hands. Erin used the sleeve of her grey sweatshirt to wipe it off, which proved to not be a good idea when she realized it made a visible wet stain. When Holtzmann saw she raised her eyebrows and laughed at Erin, who immediately felt embarrassed. Erin chugged her coffee in a record time, she could never get enough caffeine, especially then, considering how tired she was. 

“Oh shoot, we’re hitting some traffic and we aren’t even out of New York, it’s going to be a long ride guys,” Abby looked over at Patty, who was holding her phone and looking at traffic reports.

“Looks like there was a pretty big accident a couple miles up, I’ll keep you guys updated,” Patty looked back at Erin who was scribbling equations and numbers in her notebook to pass the time. 

Holtzmann was sprawled out in the seat next to her, fiddling with a small engine, oblivious to the world around her. Her stare never moved from the small screwdriver in her hand she was using to assemble and disassemble the device. Erin looked up in fascination, she wondered how someone could do something so precise without manuals or directions. When her pencil fell from her hand because she wasn’t paying attention to herself Erin felt more embarrassed than she had ever been before. Holtzmann looked up at her colleague, and smiled. 

“Whatcha doin there, Er?” She asked the red-faced physicist. 

“Oh, I’m just wondering how you do that so effortlessly, ya know, how you don’t have to think about it,” Erin grabbed her pencil and looked up at her. 

“It’s because she spends most of her time blowing shit up,” Patty called from the front seat, earning a laugh from Abby.

“And there’s your answer,” the engineer said with a smirk, resuming her work. 

\---

“How much longer is this going to take,” Erin leaned forward in her seat, her seatbelt stretched as far as it goes.

“Honey, we’ve been in the car for two hours stop asking,” Patty sounded only slightly more annoyed than last time. Erin wasn’t as annoyed as she thought she would be so far. She was having fun joking around with Holtz and Patty was being perfectly funny as always. Erin still would’ve rather be alone but it wasn’t that bad. 

“Let’s play a game,” Holtz said, as she put down the same piece of metal she’d been fiddling with for the entirety of the car ride so far. 

“What’s it called,” Erin asked skeptically, leaning back into her seat and adjusting her locked seat belt. 

“The license plate game. I used to play it when I would take long road trips when I was younger,” She ran her hand through her hair and adjusted the way she was sitting so she could face Erin, “You play by looking out the window at other cars on the highway, and then you find as many different state license plates you can find! We can keep score in your little journal.”

“Okay, let’s play,” Erin said as she opened the small leather notebook, flipping to an empty page, “Patty can you keep score for us?”

“Of course I can, you guys want me to confirm the plates you’re seeing and that you’re not just lying?” Patty took the notebook and pencil from Erin, and made two columns to keep score. 

“Ooh, New York! Ha I got the first point,” Holtz did a little dance in her seat, earning a glare from Abby in the mirror.

“Hey settle down back there I need to focus on traf-” Abby said, cut off by honking and swearing from another vehicle trying to cut them off. Holtzmann sat back down in her seat, pretending to roll her eyes at Abby’s motherly-ness. Erin let out a little laugh, trying her best to enjoy herself, and she looked back out the window. 

“Massachusetts!” Erin practically jumped from her seat, pointing to the blue sedan diagonally in front of them. Patty scribbled another point in the notebook, keeping tally for the two.

\---

The game went on for two hours, by that point they’d just gotten out of traffic. 

“I’m hungry, anyone wanna eat? There’s a Mcdonald’s up here Abby, we can switch drivers here, too,” Patty pointed to the sign for the next exit.   
It was 11:05 when they pulled into the rest area. Holtz jumped out of the car and ran inside, desperately needing food. The other Ghostbusters were more interested in using the bathroom, as it’d been hours since they’d left.

“Holtz don’t order anything yet we need to put it on the card the Mayor gave us for our expenses,” Abby called as she walked through the Mcdonald’s dining area. Holtzmann gave her a thumbs up, reading the menu intensely. 

When the team returned from the bathroom, Holtz ran over to them, “Can we get a giant order of nuggets?” She asked, almost child-like.

“Fine, we can get a giant order of nuggets,” Abby took the credit card from her wallet and walked up to the counter to order while the other Ghostbusters sat down. 

Abby returned to the table with a large paper bag in her hands, dumping the contents out on the tray for the team to share. Holtzmann and Erin were both joking around about the game they’d played in the car, Holtzmann was in the lead 12 license plates to Erin’s 7. Erin threw a fry lazily at her, pretending to be upset over her loss. Erin blushed when somehow Holtzmann managed to catch it with her mouth. She grinned, half a french fry dangling from her teeth.

“Will you two stop flirting and eat your food god dammit,” Patty said, pointing a chicken nugget at them. Erin’s face felt flushed with embarrassment as she shifted her weight in the chair.

“We weren’t- we wouldn’t- I don’t-” Erin stammered as she tried to say something.

“What Erin’s is OBVIOUSLY trying to say is that we will continue to eat our food like normal people,” Holtzmann jumped in and finished Erin’s sentence, taking a dramatic bite out of another nugget.

\---

“I call driving next!” Patty yelled as she hopped in the driver’s seat of the car. Holtzmann shrugged, not caring her turn for driving was being skipped.

“Patty, I swear if you start yelling at anyone out there we are pulling over the car and I am driving, you hear me? I know how bad at driving people from Massachusetts are so please hold it together,” Abby pointed at Patty, hoping she got the message.

The traffic was even worse than it was going through New York and Connecticut, there was construction everywhere and no one seemed to know how to use their blinkers when switching lanes. Much to Abby’s surprise Patty managed to keep her cool. 

Erin was looking out the window again, hoping to find more different license plates when she felt something, or someone, kick her. “Holtzmann what the hell?” She said, turning to see the younger engineer laying her legs across Erin and lying against the door of the hearse.

“I’m getting comfy so I can sleep, we’re up front next, so I suggest you get some shut-eye too,” she said, adjusting the sweatshirt behind her head she was using as a pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading guys! This is my first fic so it means a lot.  
>  I'm thinking about starting a collection of one-shots so if you'd like to send in a request either comment or send in an ask on my new fan Tumblr @letslesbiansalute :)


	3. Pretty Sunsets and Diner Food

Sleep was exactly what Erin needed, it gave her the break she from the world she’d been begging for. She didn’t have to listen to anyone talking or complaining, or be stressed about anything at work. Though Erin enjoyed her four hour nap, she was rudely awakened by someone kicking her in the thigh. 

“What the hell, where are we?” She asked, wiping drool from her cheek. 

Patty laughed from the front seat, “Baby we just crossed the border into Maine. Ridiculous traffic going through Massachusetts.”

“I’m surprised you two slept through Patty’s yelling. I thought she was going to get out of the car and fight someone!” Abby recalled, Patty glaring at her.

“If he didn’t honk at me maybe I wouldn’t have,” She said, rolling her eyes jokingly, “I’m going to find a place to stop so you guys can move up front and drive, because I’m tired as fuck!” Abby nodded in agreement, already looking on her phone for the next rest stop. 

Holtzmann stretched violently, yet again kicking Erin with her boot. “Sorry babe,” She winked at the blushing physicist, who was taking off the blankets Abby had thrown on them while they were asleep.

As they pulled into the gas station, Holtzmann again was jumping out of the car, Erin close behind her, “Holtz! Wait up! I have the credit card!” Erin waved the card in the air, hoping the engineer would wait to make her purchases. When Erin finally caught up to her in the store, Holtzmann already had her arms over flowing with cans of Pringles. 

“That is diabetes waiting to happen girl,” Patty said, walking behind them with Abby to go to the bathroom. Holtzmann threw a can at her, earning a pissed off glare from Patty, “You’re lucky I’m too tired to beat your little white ass.”

“Three cans of Pringles max,” Erin picked up the can rolling on the floor and grabbed two cans from the younger girls arms, who was making a dramatic pouty face. 

\---

When they got back to the car, Erin took the driver’s seat, Holtzmann now sitting shotgun alongside her. Abby and Patty were already making themselves comfortable in the backseat, planning to sleep the rest of the way to Allagash, Maine, where they were going on the big bust.   
Holtzmann slipped a CD into the player in the hearse and and an 80’s song began blasting over the speakers. Erin recognized it as one of the songs the engineer often played while working in her lab. 

“Hey, turn that down, I’m trying to sleep back here!” Patty yelled over the sound of the old pop song, too tired to even get up to forcefully remove the CD. 

“Alriiiggghhtt,” Holtzmann groaned turning down the knob on the radio. Erin looked over and smiled at her, as the engineer had started dancing in her seat.

They had already hit traffic as they pulled out onto the highway again, and Abby and Patty were sound asleep. Holtzmann had stopped dancing, and was now fiddling with the same engine she was working with earlier in the day. 

“Still working on that?” Erin asked, looking over at the engineer in the passenger seat, who had her feet up on the dash and leaning against the door of the car, afternoon sunlight reflecting off of her glasses. 

“Well, I mean we don’t have much else to do so why not?” Holtzmann said absentmindedly, poking her screwdriver at the small machine. 

“I mean, I guess we can play another game or talk or whatever,” Erin laughed nervously, trying to make conversation. The engineer put down her tools and opened a can of Pringles and handed them to Erin.

“Try throwing Pringles at me and see if I can catch them with my mouth,” Holtzmann demonstrated by opening her mouth and throwing her head around, catching an imaginary potato chip. Erin gave her an uncertain glare, looking at the other girl like she just said they were going to the most dangerous thing possible, “We are in standstill traffic and we’re barely moving, it’s perfectly safe,” Holtzmann reassured her, gesturing to the hundreds of cars sitting on the highway.

“Fine, but once we start moving we stop, okay,” Erin said, popping open the can and taking a chip out. She threw it cautiously at Holtzmann, and it landed no wheres near her on the floor.

“C’mon Er, put your back into it!” Holtzmann cheered quietly, trying not to wake Patty and Abby, who were snoring in the backseat. 

Erin’s second attempt was closer, but still far from her colleague’s mouth. Holtzmann laughed more this time, as Erin got frustrated she couldn’t even throw a chip. She was ready to throw a third when the large SUV behind them honked. Erin drove forward angrily, as she was pissed off that she let Holtzmann distract her like that. She pulled forward ten feet before traffic slowed to a stop again. Erin sighed and looked in the backseat to check on her fellow Ghostbusters; luckily they were sound asleep still. 

When she turned back around Holtzmann had taken the can of chips and was holding one out to her. 

“Oh, thanks, Holtz,” Erin said, reaching her hand to take it. The engineer pulled it back and laughed at a now-annoyed Erin. 

“Your turn,” Holtzmann said with a wink, waving the chip in the air. 

“Fine, but only once because traffic is starting to clear up ahead and I need to actually drive for once,” Erin said, only half paying attention to the road again. The blonde smiled, and threw a chip across the car at an unprepared Erin, who glared at her but went back to focusing on the road, as traffic was beginning to move. Holtzmann continued to pelt her with Pringles until Erin started laughing, and the engineer had to stop because she’d made her laugh so hard. 

“Holtz! Stop, I need to drive! Now give me a chip like a normal person so I can eat,” She held out her hand yet again, waiting for her passenger to give her a snack. Instead of giving it to her, Holtz shoved the chip into her coworker’s half open mouth. 

Erin stared at her, no longer paying attention to where she was driving. She could still feel Holtzmann’s finger on her lip. The engineer smirked at her, and raised her eyebrows, “There’s more where that came from, sweet cheeks,” she threw in another wink at an extremely distracted Erin. As Erin realized she needed to focus on the road she pushed the thought of Holtz out of her mind, and tried to get herself together. 

\---

Abby and Patty snored loudly from the backseat, and the sunset glared in Erin’s eyes, causing her more frustration. “Agh!” She groaned as traffic yet again slowed, not yet to a stop.

“Hey, why don’t we stop for dinner, I saw a sign for a diner off the next exit. Maybe some food will calm you down,” Holtzmann said, taking out her phone to get directions. 

“Should we wake them up,” Erin asked, gesturing to the back seat.

“Unless you feel like getting yelled at by Patty for interrupting her beauty sleep, then I’d say no,” The blonde laughed at her own joke, and Erin rolled her eyes, turning off the highway and onto a small town road. “Oo, It’s right up here on the left, yeah this is the parking lot I think,” Holtz looked at the small silver building overlooking a lake with a gravel parking lot. 

Erin stopped the car and her eyes widened when she looked up at the beautiful sunset that stretched across the quiet lake ahead of them. “Holtz, this is beautiful, look at how-” Erin was cut off by the sound of the engineer getting out of the car and motioning for the other girl to join her. Erin grabbed her wallet and got out of the car, making sure to lock it, so if Abby woke up she couldn’t yell at Erin for letting her almost get kidnapped. 

Holtzmann was already in a booth when Erin went into the restaurant. It was against the back wall with a large window overlooking the waterfront. Erin sat across from the engineer, awkwardly scooting along the vinyl seat. A waitress came over and asked for their drink orders; Holtzmann ordered two iced coffees before Erin could even speak. 

“Why are you getting coffee, it’s like six!” Erin hissed, trying not to raise her voice.

“Babe, we’ve got a couple more hours of driving until we get there so I don’t want us falling asleep behind the wheel!” Holtz said to her, stacking the creamers into a pyramid in front of her. Erin blushed, trying to hide her smile from her coworker. She knocked over the engineer’s coffee creamer pyramid, trying to hide her smile, but ended up with her hand on Holtzmann’s outstretched arm that lay on the table. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean, I-” Erin stuttered yet again, tripping over her words. Holtzmann smiled, but was also interrupted by the waitress coming back to the table with their drinks. She pulled her arm away and grabbed the drinks, thanking the waitress and awkwardly smiling at Erin. 

“Why do you do that,” Holtzmann asked, looking curiously at Erin, who was trying to hide her awkwardness behind a glass of iced coffee.

“Do what,” Erin took another gulp, as she had a sense of where this conversation was going. 

“Ya know, get all uncomfortable around me,” Holtzmann read the menu, not even looking up at Erin. 

“No I don’t,” She spoke more defensively this time, looking up at the girl across the table from her, “I’ve just been feeling really weird with everything lately and I just want a break, yeah, you know what I mean…”

Holtzmann looked up from her menu. She knew Erin was lying but didn’t say anything, she just waved the waitress over and began ordering. Minutes passed before the waitress came again with their meals. Holtz even winked and the waitress, which made Erin even more pissed. 

Erin cleared her throat, “So what’d Patty say about this place, do we know anything?” She poked at the french fries in front of her.   
Holtzmann swallowed a large bite of her hamburger and responded, “Well, she said that apparently some creepy stuff happened there a while back, and now the whole town is taken over by ghosts,” she took a sip of coffee before saying, “It’s a ‘ghost town.’” She laughed at her own joke and looked up to find an unamused Erin.  
“Abby told me we’re going to stay in a hotel right outside of town and start getting rid of those ghosts first thing tomorrow morning,” Erin took a bite of her food, “So we should probably order some food for Patty and Abby and hit the road soon.”

Holtz nodded, not really paying attention to Erin. “ERIN! LOOK AT THIS FRY! IT LOOKS JUST LIKE A GHOST!” Holtz practically jumped up in her seat, almost knocking over her iced coffee. Erin stared at her blankly, trying not to laugh at the ghostbuster making a fool of herself over a french fry that looked like a ghost. “Here, I give you the honors to eat it, since you’re being all pouty,” She handed the fry to Erin, who smiled and took it.

“I’m not being pouty, I’m just going through a rough patch,” Erin retaliated, finishing off the fry. 

“Well then, why do you get all weird when I do things like this,” She shifted her leg under the table and brushed it past Erin’s, who immediately bit her lip.

“Holtz, this is unprofessional, let’s just grab some food for Abby and Patty and get back on the road,” She sat upright in her seat, even though she subconsciously wanted the engineer to keep going. 

“Whatever you say babygirl,” Holtzmann winked at the physicist and waved the waitress over for the check. 

“While you handle that, I’m going to the bathroom before we go,” Erin ran up from her seat, desperate to get on the road again so she wouldn’t have another awkward confrontation with Holtzmann. 

When she got to the dimly lit two stall restroom she leaned over the sink, letting her hair fall around her. She needed time alone to breathe and think through things. 

When the door opened and she heard someone walk in, she had assumed it was another customer, but was proved wrong when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“We gotta hit the road, ya know, if we want to get there before midnight,” Holtzmann walked directly behind Erin, a hint of disappointment in her voice. 

“I know, I just needed to breathe for a moment. I have a lot going on right now,” The physicist continued looking down at the sink, contemplating whether she should stop the engineer from touching her shoulder. She decided against it. 

“I know what you said out there was bullshit,” Holtzmann leaned her chin on Erin’s shoulder, and pushed her hair away from her face.   
Erin’s breath caught and she turned her head to look at her coworker. She didn’t say anything, just stood there and stared, the sound of old lights humming filled the silence. Erin turned around, half sitting on the sink, arms crossed, “Then what’d you think I meant, hm?” The physicist was being unusually flirty, and she hoped it went well.

“How about I show you,” Holtzmann winked at Erin before closing the space between them, kissing her gently, pulling away quickly to gauge her reaction.

Erin’s smile quickly faded when she realized what she’d done. “Holtzmann! This is so unprofessional, this never happened, okay?” She started walking towards the door, stopping to hold it open for Holtz, “C’mon we need to get on the road, we have ghosts to hunt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update!! School started today and I've been super busy with sports and everything. Please leave any suggestions or a quick comment, it means a lot!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for making it this far guys! I promise I'll update often. This chapter was sort of to just set the scene for what's ahead. The other chapters will be longer but I just wanted to get this one. Please comment any advice / suggestions!


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